DEFENSE/82 Chinese warplanes, ships deployed near Taiwan during drills Wednesday: MND

Taipei, April 3 (CNA) China dispatched 82 warplanes and vessels to areas near Taiwan on Wednesday, the last day of its most recent military exercises in the region, according to Taiwan's defense ministry.

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) sent 59 planes into Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ), 18 of which crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, while 13 others crossed its extension, a flight map released by Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) showed.

The incursions began at 6:10 a.m. Wednesday and continued until 8:10 p.m., according to the MND information.

Wednesday's drills, codenamed Strait Thunder 2025-A, were a continuation of China's latest round of military exercise that started the previous day, which the PLA Eastern Theater Command said were meant as "a stern warning" to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces.

During Wednesday's drills, 23 Chinese warships and eight official ships were also detected in waters around Taiwan, according to the MND.

On Tuesday afternoon, China's Maritime Safety Administration announced the closure of a shipping zone near Zhejiang Province, citing "military activity."

At a press conference Wednesday, the MND confirmed that the PLA had been carrying out live-fire drills in the East China Sea that morning.

The latest round of Chinese military exercises in the area began Tuesday and ended Wednesday night.